Having inflicted an only defeat in any competition to date this season on the Staffordshire club at Sugden Road in January, Surbiton recovered well from conceding an early goal at the Morris Ground to equalise by the interval and then take the lead with only 14 minutes remaining.

The Long Ditton-based club also managed to survive five minutes with only 10 men until four minutes before time, before finally succumbing to Cannock’s frantic late assault.

Both teams were missing key players for this vital game, with Cannock seeking to maintain their three-point advantage over Reading and fifth-placed Surbiton trying to force their way into the fourth and final post-season European play-off place.

Visiting Surbiton were without their Olympian James Wallis and new England under-18 selection Jamie Ruiz.

But Cannock were even harder hit with no less than five internationals either injured or unavailable.

From the start both teams adopted a direct approach, seeking to cut out the midfield with through balls and aerials that made for exciting end-to-end play.

However, with a large and vociferous crowd constantly heckling both umpires it is perhaps not surprising that the game eventually turned on some hotly-disputed decisions.

In the 11th minute Surbiton defenders clearly thought they had won a free hit.The Surbiton players were so convinced the free hit was their’s that when the umpire awarded it the other way they were unprepared for Richard Lane’s quick hit across goal for Andy Langlands to turn in at the far post.

To Surbiton’s credit they refused to buckle and had much the better of the half overall, forcing five penalty corners without reply.

Cannock keeper James Fair was equal to everything Matt Daly could flick at him.

Perversely, however, the one time the injection was not stopped cleanly from Surbiton’s fourth attempt four minutes from time, Danny Emery drove the loose ball towards John Grice at the right-hand post, who reverse-sticked it back across goal for injector Rob Moore to bury the equaliser at the other post.

Daly only had one penalty corner opportunity in the second half, which he flicked low and left past Fair to take the lead in the 56th minute.

Cannock’s drag flicker and leading scorer Simon Ramsden had already put two sighters wide before Daly’s successful attempt. Now Surbiton’s keeper Jon Ebsworth had to pull out two great saves to keep out two more.

The second of these came while Surbiton were down to ten men with centre-half Karl Stagno dismissed to the sin bin for five minutes after a Reza Sazegar free hit had been controversially reversed for time wasting.

But Stagno was back for the frantic final four minutes with Cannock throwing everything forward and the crowd baying for victory.

The equaliser came with two minutes remaining after both umpires had missed a blatant foot foul leading up to Matt Taylor’s scoring shot.

Then, with Surbiton still smarting from the injustice, Cannock came straight back at them and Michael Johnson fired in the winner with seconds remaining.

However, the young Surbiton squad can take a great deal of heart from their overall performance.

Certainly it was not three points thrown away as so often previously this season.

They also have five fixtures left to catch up three points and one goal difference on Guildford, starting against third-placed Loughborough Students at Sugden Road this Saturday, push back 2pm.